On the bus ride to Mindo we stopped to help an overturned jeep. The Ecuadorians loved to drive fast and this time it proved too much. It took 12 men to twist and turn the jeep back onto its wheels before we could continue our journey.

When we got to Mindo we spent about 20mins being sent in opposite directions in search of our hostel.Another Equadorian trait is that they hate to admit they don`t know where something is, so just like the Argentinians did, they give you the wrong directions.Finally we found a wooden house set back from the town amongst a jungle of a garden.We went for coffee where we met a couple, Conner (USA) and Carolina (Equador). They invited us to join them on a waterfall walk which begun a few km out of town. The walk was beautiful and took us past 7 waterfalls, barefoot across a few rivers, and deep in to rainforest terrain with the added rain for a real rainforest feel! In order to get there you have to take a cable car across the tops of the trees which offers you a great views of the forest you`re about to enter.

Back in Mindo, we met for dinner and beers before heading back to Conner and Carolinas for Whiskey.We found out that the Ecuadorians love their Whiskey and this is what Carolina had asked Conner to bring as a gift from the States. So we drank good quality Whiskey (which I didn`t like) and talked til bed time. On the way home it seemed that by 11pm, the town of Mindo had pretty much shut down apart from one restaurant/bar which was pumping music from a brightly lit 90´s style hi-fi.Mindo really is a sleepy little jungle town with only one main dirt road in the middle, a church, a few restaurants and hostels and then one big rain forest.As charming as it was we decided to leave it for dryer climates.That night I slept in the most uncomfy bed I have ever slept in and the smell of damp was everywhere.It rained all afternoon and all night and the chances of drying out of shoes and clothes seemed very slim, so sunshine and beach here we come!!